WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED

SYNOPSIS:
Jake Heke (Temuera Morrison) has found a new woman in Rita (Edna Stirling) but nothing
else is new since his wife Beth (Rena Owen) left him, unwilling to deal with Jake’s
drinking and violence. When one of his sons, Nig (Julian Arahanga) is killed in a gang
fight, Jake becomes morose and even more eruptive, turning even Rita against himself. His
other son, Sonny (Clint Eruera), filled with hate for his wasted father, wants revenge for
Nig’s death, and the seething cauldron of gang warfare, family feuding and
Jake’s self-loathing brings things to the boil – and Jake begins to reassess his
empty, shattered life.

"Seething with pathos in a richly tangible cultural setting, What Becomes of the
Broken Hearted is a compelling and satisfying journey of redemption. Gripping from start
to finish, the brooding atmosphere is fraught with undercurrents of violence in an ugly
world where gangs and revenge take priority. Yet we glimpse another world, where music is
an integral part of the culture and is as natural as breathing. Alan Duff's economical
script is beautifully structured and effectively executed with Ian Mune's confident
direction. The light, ironic dry touches of humour are thrown into the mix as naturally as
day follows night. The relationships and their resolutions are handled sensitively and
with depth. The complex culture, exotically colourful (tattoos galore), is showcased in
striking settings with an enigmatic score by David Hirschfelder that builds into a tour de
force. Temuera Morrison towers in his riveting performance as Jake the Muss. He is
explosive, charismatic, tragic and tortured all at once. Morrison inhabits the character
totally and fills the screen. All the performances are excellent – from Peter Smith
as the riveting Apeman to impressive Clint Eruera as Sonny. Passionate and powerful, What
Becomes of the Broken Hearted is a disturbing journey, but one we can be very satisfied to
take. Recommended."Louise Keller

"If you haven’t seen Once Were Warriors, this film will still resonate with
its power and sadness, its inverted spiritual trajectory of a single man’s
redemption, its visceral force. As if sticking our nose against the plate glass and
peering into the human condition on a very specific level, What Becomes of the Broken
Hearted is a big hearted, difficult, confronting and emotionally draining film with throat
and heart grabbing performances. Temuera Morrison performs a spiritual Phoenix in this
sequel that gives sequels a better name. His Jake is a tattered, battered and fettered
soul, rapidly imploding under the weight of his own anger; tracking it back to its source
is what Once Were Warriors does, locating it ina cultural wasteland of Maori pride in the
past and a confused present. We are witness to Jake’s terrifying journey through a
social landscape that appears to be so tangible that we are left sweating with dread. And
so sad. God, so sad. There are no pat answers, no easy solutions, no redeeming moments.
Except one. The last one. We pity, we gaze in horror and we laugh, all in a row, as Ian
Mune delivers a film that carries the same punch to the solar plexus as did Lee
Tamahori’s first take on Jake – all thanks to writers Alan Duff and Riwia Brown.
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted is not for the faint hearted – but it does massage
the heart with a complex set of emotions, making it a satisfying if harrowing
experience."Andrew L. Urban